The third option.Living with parents after you are married is a bad idea, both living in the same house before marriage is a bad idea.

I do think that you need to set a date however, and trust God that it will all work out with the house. If after a yer you still havent quite got the house, you can rent for a short time.

I am not sure that you guys in America realise just how blessed you are being able to buy a home at your very young age. Couples here in the Uk can rarely buy anywhere till they are much much older(if ever), and usually have to rent, (which is also incredibly expensive here). Houses are so expensive. My son is married and he is 33 and his wife is 29. They rent a small appt and are desperately trying to save for a deposit, both working full time. Not sure when they will be able to have children. My daughter marries in 3 weeks. She is 31 and her fiance is 32. Again they will be living in a small appt, because where they live is very expensive. It will be a miracle for all of them to be able to have their own home, but thats what I am praying for!!!

Don't buy the house right off. Rent an apartment to begin with. You two are very young & your future together can & will take hard corners & turns at the drop of a hat.

Get married & then rent an apartment. (Or house) and find out what the two of you TOGETHER want and need in a home before purchasing one. Do you need a "man cave"? Or does she need a "sewing room"?A big kitchen or two bathrooms?

Take your time. You got 50+ years to get all the stuff. Bad neighbors or bad housing can be disastrous.

Get the house, and move in together and shortly after get married? - Meaning there will be a grace period where we are living together but aren't married.

I think the second option will be great. If you both are ready to marriage then I don't think so any thing bad in it. Rather you should spent more time with your girlfriend. I believe it gives more time to understand each other.

My experience with this is my husband bought a house while we were still dating and kept asking me to move in. Well...I told him that I would not move in with a man unless I was married. Less than a year later, we married and I moved in. But, even though I had my own apartment, I spent a lot of time at the house and I helped picked out the paint for the walls, furniture, etc. So, I think if you are able to purchase a house before the wedding, definitely do it, just keep the one not living in the house involved in all the decisions, decorating, etc. and build a life together without actually living together until after the wedding. Just my 2 cents.